Piano Man
by Your Candle on the Water
Summary: Bolin is a down-on-his-luck probender who saw his crush kissing his brother. Asami is a disowned heiress working behind the bar counter. As the two share their stories with each other over drinks, they discover the happiness of not being alone anymore. Bosami


_**AN: I own nothing.**_

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_**Piano Man  
**_

Bolin rested his head onto the cool wooden counter of the bar. His face was red and warm from the alcohol he consumed.

How many glasses did he drink? He lost count after the third.

"Excuse me sir, but if you don't order something soon I will have to kick you out."

The probender looked up to address the owner of the firm but feminine voice. Even with his head buzzing, Bolin can clearly see one of the most beautiful women he has ever met. She had her long, ebony hair down, framing her heart shaped face. Her plum red lips were pursed into a slight pout. Her cheeks were highlighted by rouge. Spirits was she beautiful.

What really shook his core were the young woman's eyes.

They were emerald green, greener than the grass at the park or the fireworks in the festivals. They were outlined by black kohl and plum eye shadow, which succeeded in making her piercing eyes even greener.

At the sight of the young woman, Bolin rushed to sit up, almost knocking over his bar stool.

"Well, sir, what would it be?" the woman asked.

"Uhhh, anything for a lonely man… who's alone," the probender slurred.

Bolin rested his head in his hands, waiting for his drink to come. Tonight was one of the worst nights of his life. He was barely able to restrain the tears when he relived the events all over again.

"One tonic and fire gin for the lonely man in green."

Bolin raised his head at the lady addressing him, and he couldn't help but stare at her some more. He didn't realize he was staring until the bartender raised a delicate eye brow at his drunken antics. Bolin quickly apologized and thanked her for the drink.

"So, who broke your heart badly enough for you to come here?" the bartender asked.

Bolin choked on his drink. "Who told you my heart was broken?" Bolin finally asked, amazed at the woman's ability to read him.

The bartender chuckled. "It was only a guess. Your reaction just proved to me it was."

Bolin flushed, this time not from the alcohol. He took a deep breath and told her his story.

"My best friend. I've had feelings for her for a while now, and I was finally going to ask her to go on a date with me. I was going to surprise her at the gym, because we had probending practice, you know, but when I entered, I saw her kissing my brother. I ran all the way to this place before they saw me."

Bolin gulped down the rest of his drink, the burn going down his throat temporarily distracted him from the pain of heartbreak.

"I just feel like my brother always gets what I want. It's like he doesn't want me to be happy."

The bartender smiled slightly at her customer. The tears were starting to flow from his eyes, and to put it lightly, Bolin was not gorgeous when he was crying.

The woman took Bolin's empty glass and placed it in the sink behind her when she said, "That's the alcohol talking. Of course he wants you to be happy."

"B-b-b-but why can't I be happy with her?" Bolin sobbed.

The young bartender let Bolin cry it out while she washed the glass. After washing the cup, she looked at the clock. Her shift ended five minutes ago.

"Boss!" she yelled, "My shift is over!"

"All right, Asami," a man shouted back across the room, "Feel free to help yourself before you leave. You served a lot of people today."

Asami smiled and replied, "Don't mind if I do."

After showing her thanks, Asami poured herself some red wine from a decade old bottle and moved to the customer side of the counter. She sat down on a stool next to Bolin's, slowly drinking her problems away.

"You're name's Asami, huh?" a voice to her left said, bringing her out of her reverie.

Asami flashed the man next to her a smile. The probender finally calmed down a little.

"Yes it is. What is yours?"

The probender returned her smile, "The name's Bolin, and I'm the earthbender for the Fire Ferrets."

Asami gasped, "So _you're_ Bolin? THE Bolin? That's amazing! I've only been able to hear the matches on the radio, but from what I've been hearing, your earth bending at the arena is unbelievable!"

"Glad to know _someone _still loves me after the fiasco this afternoon," Bolin replied.

At his snarky comment, Asami can only shake her head.

"You say that so easily, Bolin. At least you have people that love you, and before you interrupt me, your brother and your best friend do love you."

That piqued Bolin's interest, "Well then, Asami, what's your story? Is it worse than mine?"

Asami took a sip of her wine.

"How about I tell you, and you be the judge?"

With that, Bolin nodded, urging her to go on.

"About a year and a half ago, I told my father that I applied to a college in the Fire Nation, and that I'll be leaving. Daddy wasn't happy, to say the least. We could easily afford it. We argued for three whole days over it. I got sick of my father's disapproval, so I took all the money in my bank account and took the next boat to the Fire Nation. I only had enough money to pay for the rent for my apartment and my college tuition, so on the weekends and evenings, I bartended.

"While I was working there, I met this guy-"

"Of course you met a guy. You're too pretty to stay single!" Bolin interjected.

Asami laughed and played with the rim of her glass. Once she sobered up, she took a sip and continued her story.

"At first I thought nothing of this guy, save for the fact that he was gorgeous. One night, however, that changed. He saved me from a disgruntled customer who waited for me to leave the bar. Since that night, he walked me to my apartment.

"We talked about everything, from school to food to our families. We both had problems with our parents, so we talked about that a lot. He was my only companion during my stay in the Fire Nation. He made me feel wanted.

"We've continued this way for months, to the point where I almost told him how I felt. What I didn't know, however, was that the man who walked me home every night was Prince Iroh."

Bolin slammed his palm on the counter.

"Wait, wait, _WAIT_! Time out! How did you _not _know the guy who made your heart soar was the freakin' Prince of the Fire Nation?" Bolin yelled.

Asami looked at the ground, face flushing, when she defended herself.

"There weren't any posters around of the royal family, and the radio at the bar was only set to the probending stations and the jazz stations."

Bolin asked smugly, "Did you hear _me_ play? Wasn't I amazing?"

Asami couldn't help but give a full- bodied laugh at this.

"Maybe I'll tell you when I'm done with my story ok?"

With a nod of agreement by Bolin, Asami continued, "One night, he didn't show. Thinking that he had to go do something else with his life, I ignored it. However, he didn't visit the bar for over two weeks, and I was going hysterical.

"One weekend, however, I was working the lunch time shift, when the parade for the royal wedding came by. I went outside the bar to greet and cheer for the happy couple, but when I saw the royal carriage, I couldn't. I saw him, dressed up in clothing fit for royalty, with a woman to his left. I went back inside, crying after I saw them kiss.

"A few weeks later, Prince Iroh shows up to the bar again in civilian clothing, like he's trying to fool me. He told me he loved me and that the marriage was arranged since birth. He wanted to elope with me, but I remember telling him that it wasn't fair to hurt two women in his life. I remember fighting with him so more and slapping him in the face. He lied to me, Bolin. He strung me along and broke my heart.

"I got my credits from the college transferred to the institute here in Republic City. I packed my bags and headed back to the place I wanted to leave. I didn't bother to go back to my father's mansion. I haven't set foot in my own house since I came back. I just live in my dorm and bartend in the evenings and weekends."

Asami finished her glass and took a deep breath. She was so deep in thought she didn't realize that Bolin was staring at her profile. Spirits, was she beautiful, even when she was down.

Bolin wondered what it will take to make her happy.

"Well Asami, it seems you win this round. You do have the sadder story. What do you want as a prize?" Bolin asked.

Asami thought for a moment, placing her fingers on her chin.

"I think one more drink for each of us will be fine by me. Boss! Two shots of vodka!"

A middle aged man went back into the counter and smiled. The two have been talking for over an hour, and with the lack of customers ordering anything this late at night, all that the boss did for a good thirty minutes was listen and observe their conversation. After employing Asami for three months now, he never heard her back story. She got so anxious whenever he asked that he quit trying after the girl started crying.

The boss wondered how this down-on-his-luck bender was able to get it out of her.

_It must be the alcohol_, he thought.

He gave the two their drinks.

"Thanks Boss. Just take it off my tab," Asami replied.

"No no no no! Since you won this thing, I'll pay for them," offered Bolin.

The boss just laughed and said, "It's on the house tonight, kids."

Asami took her shot and raised her glass. Bolin did the same.

"A toast," Asami declared, "to being brokenhearted and lonely."

"A toast to the most beautiful, lonely woman I've ever met."

The two tilted their glasses to each other and drank their shots.

Maybe they won't be lonely any more after tonight. But for now, they're just glad they had someone to talk to.

_Yes they're sharing a drink they call "Loneliness"_

_But it's better than drinking alone_

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_**Gotta love inspiration at two in the morning!**__  
_

_**- Your Candle on the Water  
**_


End file.
